Citation Guide: Report in APA Style

The APA (American Psychological Association) report citation style is one that researchers and writers frequently use. This APA report citation style bears similarities with other types of citation styles and so may be confusing when it is time to cite APA report.

However, in this article, you will be learning how to cite a report APA style correctly and the APA format for reports. So, keep reading.

How to Cite a Report in APA 7th Edition

APA How to Cite a Report: Write out the Name of the Author(s)/Organization

Some reports credit a single author, some credit two or more authors while others credit organizations as their writers. When doing an APA citation of a report, write out the author(s) surname first, followed by a comma, then the initial of their first name and a full stop.

For example, “Lane, J.”

When citing two or three authors, simply write out their surnames and initials and then put an “and” to separate them.

For example, “Lane, J. and Sweets, T.”

When doing a report citation APA style for four or authors, write like this:

For example, “Lane, J. et al.”

When citing an organization or government report APA style, simply write like this:

For example, “The U. S. Centre of Research Development.”

APA Citation for a Report: Write out the Year of Publication

When citing a report in APA, you only need the year of the publication even if the full date is available. After writing out the name of the author(s) or organization, simply open parentheses, write the year and close your parentheses.

For example, “Lane, J. (2021)”

“Lane, J. and Sweets, T. (2021)”

“Lane, J. et al (2021)”

“The U. S. Centre of Research Development (2021)”

APA Cite a Report: Write Out the Title of the Report

After writing out the publication year, the next thing is to write out the title of the report and its report number if provided. Put a full stop after the publication year and then write out the title in italics. Make sure the first letter of the first word in the title is in capital letters. Also, if there is a subtitle, put a colon after the title and write out the subtitle.

For example, “Lane, J. (2021). APA Citing Reports: APA online report series 101”

“The U. S. Centre of Research Development (2021). APA reference report”

How to Cite Report APA: Write out the Publication Details

This means you will write out the place (state) and the name of the publisher. If you are citing a report published in the United States, make sure you add the name of the city well. To do this, simply put a full stop after the report title, write the city, followed by a comma; the state, followed by a full stop and the name of the publisher.

For example, “Lane, J. (2021). APA Citing Reports: APA online report series 101. Ontario, Canada: Bookbird Publications.”

APA Citing a Report: Specify If the Report was Made for a Particular Agency

Some reports are not made for the general public but for specific agencies and organizations. When this happens, the author(s) of the report usually specifies this in their report. So, when doing an APA citation report, you have to specify as well. All you have to do is add this phrase after the title: “Report prepared for.”

For example, “Lane, J. et al (2021). APA Citing Reports: APA online report series 101. Report prepared for the Canadian Institute of Research Development, Ontario, Canada: Bookbird Publications.”

Cite Report APA: Provide the DOI of the Report if it is an Online One

A DOI is simply short for digital object identifier and it is what allows a reader to trace the source of an information. If your report is an online one, you need to tell your readers where they can also access it. Now, at this point, it is important to mention that while you can easily access some reports online, you may not be able to access them all. This is because some databases require that you first subscribe to them before you can gain access. If the report is easily accessible, then you can add its DOI. However, if it requires subscription fees, then you should simply write the name of the database. Also, make sure to add the phrase: “Retrieved From” after the publication details.

For example, “Lane, J. et al (2021). APA Citing Reports: APA online report series 101. Report prepared for the Canadian Institute of Research Development, Ontario, Canada: Bookbird Publications. Retrieved from: https://www.bookbirds.com”

OR

“Lane, J. et al (2021). APA Citing Reports: APA online report series 101. Report prepared for the Canadian Institute of Research Development, Ontario, Canada: Bookbird Publications. Retrieved from: Bookbird Database”

How to APA Cite a Report: Conclusion

Now you know the correct way to report APA citation or how to cite reports in APA. Hopefully the article has cleared up any confusions and answered any questions about citing in the APA format for your assignments. Make sure to follow them carefully so the information you are citing is clear and can be easily found if someone is interested in your sources.

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